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CANASA update: Why you should become a member of CANASA

The landscape of the traditional security industry is changing and it is changing quickly.

All levels of government  are trying to understand the legislative requirements to control or monitor artificial intelligence, facial recognition and associated privacy concerns as well as the emergence of DIY systems and the ways to respond to them.

Advocacy

CANASA is in communication with many levels of government, working with AHJs (Authorities Having Jurisdiction) and actively advocating on behalf of our industry to ensure that our member companies are represented in a way that will ensure future growth.

Education for our members

As all of you know, there is a need for the security industry to be seen as a viable career for people starting out or looking to change professions.

CANASA is working with educational facilities across the country to provide entry-level training courses to fill this gap so that our members can continue to grow and fulfill their obligations to their customers. Business is booming and we have a labour shortage!

We are also working with industry partners in the United States to take advantage of well-designed courses that have already been created for a market that uses products and services identical to ours.

This could help us to include training for project management certification and sales courses.

Minimum standards

CANASA’s board of directors is working to endorse minimum standards which will become a membership requirement in the near future:

• Criminal record checks for employees who deal with consumers and have access to confidential information pertaining to end users.

• Mandatory liability insurance for companies who deal with the public.

• A commitment to comply with provincial health and safety regulations in whatever province they are operating in and compliance with workers compensation regulations in your jurisdiction of work.

• PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Document Act) compliance.

Patrick Straw is the executive director of CANASA (www.canasa.org).

This story was featured in the August/September 2019 edition of SP&T News magazine.